Four-minute frenzy shows title credentials
Manchester City looked like they were about to crumble when Mason Holgate somehow blazed over the bar from four yards out, unmarked, and Kyle Walker had just been needed to stop Dominic Calvert-Lewin unleashing a shot after another dangerous break. The noise inside Goodison Park was rising, and Everton had the momentum.
The Blues needed something to silence the crowd and stop the Everton push, so Ilkay Gundogan's brilliant flick back behind him and past Jordan Pickford was not only an incredible goal but one at a very important time.
And a minute later, Erling Haaland woke up from a quiet performance to head home Gundogan's perfect cross. From almost certainly going behind, four minutes earlier, City were suddenly in complete control and Goodison was silent. With a mix of quality, ruthlessness and luck, it was the kind of spell that defines champions, and it kept City on course for the title on an afternoon where that was far from guaranteed.
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New roles for defensive duo
From the start, Manu Akanji lined up at left-back in the absence of Nathan Ake, yet this was another tactical switch-up for the versatile defender as he was effectively an extra midfielder in possession for City. With Akanji playing in the area of a conventional central midfielder, and Aymeric Laporte pushing up alongside a tired Rodri at the base of midfield, Ruben Dias was often holding the fort as the sole defender at times.
Pep Guardiola spent much of his time between plays calling Akanji over, sometimes with Laporte, and encouraging the pair if they mis-stepped in their new positions.
Even after Guardiola has challenged all of his defenders to push up into midfield this season, perhaps barring Dias, and most of the time it has worked. The formation did invite Everton to commit men forward, but also added extra control for City in attack, and helped them push on for a big win.
Guardiola's priority call
Pep Guardiola had insisted that the Premier League - and the Everton game - was City's priority this week, despite the looming Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid this week. His team selection suggested there were some eyes to Madrid, and City's performance early on was a little tired. Guardiola, though, was unhappy with his side's sloppiness in the first half, and was up and down from his seat throughout.
After seeing Gundogan's opener quickly followed by Haaland's header, Guardiola could be forgiven for taking a seat until half-time, but he was immediately calling over Manu Akanji and Aymeric Laporte to tell them something he had spotted and wanted improving.
Gundogan curled in a fine free-kick after the break to kill the contest, but Guardiola still resisted the urge to make changes despite Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva warming up. He backed up his claim that Everton must be taken seriously, and was keen not to give them any foothold back into the game.
Gundogan's latest contract reminder
Without Ilkay Gundogan, City could have dropped five points this week. His brace against Leeds secured three vital points, and his hand in three goals against Everton were equally decisive - not to mention his lay-off for Kevin De Bruyne's rocket at the Bernabeu. As others need a break, Gundogan is powering through and scoring important goals at the business end of the season.
Not only are they important goals, they are quality ones too, underlining his status as a world-class midfielder in City's world-class midfield. If he is allowed to leave this summer, he will leave a far bigger hole than maybe City bosses have calculated.
On his 300th City appearance, Gundogan ran the show again, and sent another reminder to the club of his declining contract. Nothing will be decided until the end of the season, although the German is ensuring his position is stronger and stronger with every game. Is a two-year contract really a risk any more on City's part?
Guardiola's two separate attacking line-ups
Guardiola said he didn't want to make a substitution in Madrid as the balance of his side was right for securing a draw to bring back to the Etihad, but that had a knock-on effect at Everton as he felt the need to rest John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish. In came Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez - hardly a bad group of replacements - but it was not ideal to have such important players miss out for a key game in the title race.
It feels like Guardiola has two different midfield line-ups in mind these days to cope with the schedule. One with Mahrez, Foden and Alvarez, and another with Grealish, Bernardo and De Bruyne. The first offers more attacking flair and energy, but the second is the control option and the one Guardiola looks set to rely on against Madrid on Wednesday and in future must-win games.
Similarly in defence, Laporte's role now appears to be back-up to Stones and Ruben Dias, while Guardiola's lack of substitutions until late on also hinted at players he was looking to prepare for Madrid rather than use flat-out at Everton.
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